b. Tramar Dillard, 16 December 1979, Opa-Locka, Florida, USA. This US rapper rose to the top of the US charts at the end of the 2007 with ‘Low’, having served an apprenticeship on the Florida underground scene. Raised in the north-east Florida town of Opa-Locka, the young Dillard was inspired by the infamous Miami group 2 Live Crew to begin rapping in his teens. Like most rappers of his generation he began to make a name for himself with appearances on underground mixtapes, and by the mid-00s he was well known enough to guest on releases by established Florida artists such as Rick Ross and Trick Daddy. He signed with the Miami-based Poe Boy label and released his debut single, ‘Birthday’ (featuring Ross), at the start of 2007. It was the follow-up, ‘Low’ (featuring T-Pain), that accelerated Flo Rida’s rise from the clubs to national fame. The track, a lightweight but catchy slice of club rap, took off on the Internet and by the end of the year had reached the top of the mainstream charts, a position it held for 10 weeks. Flo Rida’s debut album, Mail On Sunday, was delayed but eventually surfaced in March 2008, although the critical slating it received indicated the rapper might have enjoyed his moment in the spotlight.
